Would you like to learn the basics of Argentine Tango?
Are you a classical dancer who’d like an introduction to breakdancing?
Maybe you’re a student dancer, preparing for a competition or recital, and you’d like coaching to polish up your stage presence and execution.
I’ve been in the dance field over 25 years, as a choreographer, teacher, dancer, and critic. I would love to hear what you want to work on.
This is the best way to learn anything.
If you’re nervous—about the class, or the material you’re trying to learn—it’s harder to absorb the skills.
Let’s meet, chat, and develop a rapport. It’ll be fun to investigate what you want to learn! You’ll make progress so much more easily when you can focus in a relaxed environment.
I can teach straight technique in the following topics, or classes that blend these topics in different ways:
• Argentine Tango (social basics and performance)
• Ballet (technique and partnering, but no pointe)
• Contemporary movement
• Breakdancing basics
• Contact improvisation
And, apart from these offerings, if you need a performance piece, I have repertory to draw from or could choreograph something new, just for you.
Let’s connect by email to discuss your interest and schedule a first session. If you like the workshop and want to do more, we’ll plan out a schedule for subsequent sessions.
Payments can be made via Zelle in advance, or in cash when we meet. Sessions are $80/hour. Cancellations with three days’ notice are free.
I started dance late in life: my senior year in secondary school. But once I discovered it, I was hooked. If you’re reading this, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean.
Because this passion filled half my life, my background in the field is extensive, but here’s the short version:
I focused my college education on dance—I came away with a hunger to explore different styles and to choreograph. After graduation, I moved to Boston and did just that: danced with modern companies, ballet companies, and choreographed and presented my own work.
I then moved to New York City, continuing to choreograph and produce my own work. I received commissions, and invitations to perform, from numbers of schools, notably the American School for the Deaf and The Ethel Walker School.
Then came some international opportunities: I taught and performed in Canada, France, Italy, and Greece.
As it goes, with concert dance or professional sports, the strain can begin to take a toll on the body. As I got older, I discovered Argentine Tango, which is quite a bit easier on the joints, and have since been enjoying that as both recreation and occasionally as a performance outlet.
My first exposure to concert dance was a coffee table book, shot by Tim Matson, depicting the famous modern dance troupe Pilobolus.
This book fell into my hands quite by accident in my senior year at South Kent School—a school which required participation in sports.
As it happened, for the first time ever, a dance class was being offered and it would satisfy the physical education requirement. My first dance classes were with faculty member Mark Howland who introduced me to jazz and modern styles.
Next year I was a freshman at Trinity College. I started with an introductory class in kinesiology, took modern, improvisation, dance history, and was able to attend consortium ballet classes at Hartford Ballet.
The Chair of the department, Judy Dworin, and a host of other excellent faculty, nurtured me through my four years there. I was hooked. I forsook other interests and plunged headlong into moving, graduating as the President’s Fellow in Dance.
After graduation, I moved to Boston where I worked with some of the modern companies there: Dance Collective, Concert Dance Company and, in particular, Dinosaur Dance Theatre under the direction of Michael Mao.
I also found work with ballet companies, first at Ballet Theatre of Boston and then later as a principal at Ballet New England in New Hampshire.
I began choreographing and presenting my own work which blended different styles of dance with other movement forms, like American Sign Language and assorted martial arts.
I was awarded the Boston Artists Foundation Choreography Fellowship—for a contemporary ballet duet, choreographed with partner Debora Broderius—which led to a performance at the iconic Jacob’s Pillow.
I moved to New York City where more of my repertory was presented at diverse showcases. There was the uptown New Choreographers on Point, the downtown Avant-garde-arama at P.S. 122; there were showings at the 92nd Street Y, and The Salon Project at the Dia Art Foundation; and I self-produced several concerts in small theatres in Manhattan.
A highlight of my time in Manhattan was working with members of American Ballet Theatre. Principal dancer Wes Chapman assembled a troupe of some of the finest soloists in the company. He commissioned me to create a ballet for this group and it was selected to be the closing work on that year’s program.
Opportunities to work in other countries began to come in:
• Canada: Fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists, Toronto
• Greece: Third International Festival of Contemporary Dance on the island of Crete, and Tripotamos Arts Center on the island of Tinos
• France: American Choreographers Showcase, Paris
• Italy: Maggio Danza, Florence, commissioned a one-act ballet
Returning to New York City, I stumbled into the Argentine Tango community and, spurred on by my love of Tango music, I gradually learned how to lead a partner in a social dance form. All those years of dance and this was the first social dancing I ever did!
As injuries began to slow my ability to perform concert works, I merged my need-to-move into Tango, steeping myself in frequent practice. On several occasions my partner Debora and I were invited to perform at Tango festivals.